


Mood Indicators

by Spirit_catcher



Category: Star Trek
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-27 06:05:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13874721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spirit_catcher/pseuds/Spirit_catcher
Summary: "People still seem to be unsure of how to handle your Vulcan-ness, Spock", Kirk said conversationally over dinner one day.Banter follows.





	Mood Indicators

**Author's Note:**

> It occurred to me part way through writing this short piece that someone – probably Uhura – would have brought up those 'old Terran mood rings' that changed colour accordingly. But they are over-used… And I’m sick of going into detail about how it’s not your mood but your temperature, which aren’t always mutually inclusive, blah blah blah…

"People still seem to be unsure of how to handle your Vulcan-ness, Spock", Kirk said conversationally over dinner one day.   
"My Vulcan-ness, Captain?"  
"Yeah", Kirk said, tone light. "Vulcans are very different from humans in a number of ways besides the obvious physical characteristics-" Spock was all of a sudden grateful for how it seemed to him the captain had not unconsciously moved his eyes to his ear tips when he said that -"and we don't exactly get to see your human side, so I guess it's not surprising that some crewmen who only interact with you in passing are a little unsure of how to act."  
In occurred to Spock that there had been a compliment (possibly an unintentional one) in that remark.   
"Is there any outcome we can aim to achieve through continuation of this conversation?" he asked instead.   
"Well, yes, I think there could be a suitable way to relieve tension between personnel caused by drastic differences in cultures."

Spock couldn't quite see where this was going, but he could tell a good part of it was in jest when Uhura arranged her face into what he knew Kirk had come to coin her 'mock diplomatic serious' expression. That had been after a significant breakdown in professionalism in their mess hall had resulted in all the humans on the bridge suddenly working on another level with each other – both on and off duty. Spock still hadn't figured out the correlation between lapses of judgement and increases in camaraderie in humans, except that there definitely seemed to be one. 

"I suggest a daily ship-wide announcement", Uhura now put in as she lowered her mug. "Something like 'Today Spock is stable and content' or 'Spock is currently homicidal and unreasonable."  
"Excellent", Kirk grinned. "Although I was thinking more along the lines of having you -" he pointed at Spock "- having a badge to wear each day that shows us mere humans what kind of mood you're in. You know, straight mouth and eyebrows at a normal angle for 'content and logical, and squiggly mouth with one raised eyebrow for 'homicidal and unreasonable.' What d'you think, Spock?"  
Spock raised a second eyebrow in response; the first one had been up almost as long as this discussion had been running.  
"I think," he said, choosing his words carefully, "that such an illogical system should prove most successful when applied by such an illogical race of beings."  
Uhura smiled in amusement, closing her dark eyes as she did so. Kirk just grinned like the moron his friends knew him to be on a regular basis.  
"You know," McCoy put in with mock seriousness that put the communications officer to shame, "both of those ideas rely on the fact that Spock has only those two states of mind. As we all know, Spock, you are rather limited when you have no emotions to be able to apply in communicating."  
"But, doctor, I find I function in a far more efficient manner without such a selection, which is the only thing Starfleet is interested in."   
"That was definitely said in a smug tone", Kirk decided aloud once he was sure Spock had finished. He returned Spock's not-glare with a mid-air fork stab. "Anyway, back to where we were… I think both ideas do allow for some flexibility, if we just –"  
"- leave it with Uhura to organize the ultimate 'Vulcan Mood Alert' system."  
"Something like that, yeah", Kirk agreed, grinning broadly at Spock.

Thankfully for the resident Vulcan, no one took it any more seriously than that.  
That is, until McCoy printed off a roll of stickers in fluoro colours and took to slapping them onto unsuspecting backs of his staff and the bridge crew whenever things needed livening up a little between Klingon attacks and planet-side missions.


End file.
